by Tessa Bailey
There he’d found it incredible easy to make money. A lot of it.
He’d discovered his ability to compel humans by accident, when in a bout of hunger, he’d demanded a blood bank employee open their doors after closing time. After all these years, he was back to being resentful, combative. Feral. He was the man who’d settled Jaxson into a life of crime, then exited stage right, not bothering to look back at the destruction left in his wake until it was too late.
Within the walls of the casinos, he’d taken money off unsuspecting humans, using his abilities to compel them or simply read their pulse. He’d disgusted himself in doing so, but what were his other means of survival? He had none. Just like Jaxson. And so, during those dark nights in Vegas, he’d been humbled in his own downfall. Made aware of how superior he’d once believed himself to be, even while grieving his friend. How quickly a man could go from the top to a bottom feeder.
Most of the money he’d won had gone to Jaxson’s family. He’d also donated to the S.W.A.T. team he’d left behind, sending the cash in an envelope with the words, “From Silent E,” written on a note inside. Elias must have been paying closer attention than he originally thought to Kenny, Latte and the rest. How they thought and operated. Because he knew instinctively that when he went missing, they probably believed they’d failed their teammate. Hopefully the message he’d sent would give them some closure, if not satisfying answers.
After the donations he’d made, Elias had a sizeable amount of money. Too much to spend in three lifetimes, especially since he’d taken up residence in the seediest motel he could find. At least there he didn’t have to watch people going about happy, healthy lives. He could be the company to the misery surrounding him.
The sound of grass being depressed beneath a heel narrowed Elias’s eyes to slits. This one was more skilled than the others. Moved more quietly.
Anticipation stole up his spine. Was it her?
This time, he wasn’t a starving prisoner. She wouldn’t let him slide, wishing for a more fulfilling fight. She’d drive that stake into the dead organ in his chest and finally, finally, he’d be free. He wouldn’t have to live with the sounds of her betrayed screams anymore. Wouldn’t have to live with this constant burn for someone he’d never deserve. He’d give her the retribution she needed, because it was all he had to offer now.
There was no reason to believe she’d be in New York, instead of Moscow, but he was slowly making his way back to Russia, one domestic flight at a time and maybe, just maybe they’d met in the middle. She’d promised to hunt him, hadn’t she? He’d used their time apart growing more adept at managing his new superhuman movements and strength, so he’d never again feel as helpless as he had outside that chapel.
Elias heard the footsteps stop behind the headstone and braced himself for the sting of her stake entering his chest—but it never came.
“Right,” said a brisk male voice that hinted at the south. “Come with me.”
Elias gained his feet and spun, ready to attack, finding a vampire roughly his age watching him with an air of confident curiosity. “Who the hell are you?”
The man put out his hand. “I’m Jonas Cantrell. Here to save you from your self-pity.”
“Fuck. Off.”
Jonas’s composure stayed intact, but he let his hand fall away. “How have you been feeding?” He scanned him with a critical eye, probably seeing the outline of his ribcage, the dirt under his fingernails. “Have you been feeding?”
“Only when I can’t hold off any longer,” Elias said after a stubborn silence. “It’s not natural. We are not natural.”
“No, but that doesn’t mean we can allow ourselves to lack purpose.”
“I have a purpose. I’m waiting here for her.”
Jonas raised an eyebrow. “A woman?”
“A slayer.” Elias dropped back to the ground, taking his post against the headstone. “I owe her a debt and I’m waiting for her to collect it.”
“Interesting.” Jonas blurred into a crouch at his side. “And then what?”
“What do you mean ‘and then what’?”
Jonas shrugged. “She won’t have long to enjoy her revenge.”
Something hot and dangerous roiled through Elias, the muscles bunching at the base of his neck. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means the lifespan of a slayer is woefully short. They can train all they want, they’re seldom a match for inhuman speed and reflexes.”
“She’s smarter than most,” Elias said through his teeth.
“The fact remains.” The other vampire almost sounded bored now. “She’ll probably only have a year tops to enjoy the retribution you offer her.”
Denial lodged in his throat. “I don’t like you.”
Jonas laughed and the graveyard fell silent for long moments. “I’ve watched you fight these last three nights. I need someone like you to have my back.”
“Again, I say, fuck off.”
His mouth twitched. “I’m the good guy.”
Elias snorted. “There are no good vampires.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Jonas’s voice swelled with sincerity. “If we have to drag our lifeless bodies around eternally, I’m going to validate us. You can help me.” He paused. “More than that, you can help her. The slayer.”
Elias’s head whipped around. “How?”
“Like I said, she won’t live long. But you could protect her.” His gaze cut toward the ground. “Once upon a time, there was someone I would have guarded from the shadows eternally, if I’d been given the chance. Take it now. Live knowing you’ll help her do the same.”
“She hates me. Rightly so.”
Jonas stood and extended his hand again. “Who says she has to know?”
This time, Elias reached back.
Six months later
Elias sat perched on the roof of the building like a stone gargoyle, his fingers biting into the brick so hard they eventually drilled through.
There she was below.
Roksana.
Swaggering through the dark alley, wearing her invincibility like a cloak.
More beautiful than anything on earth, as always.
To say the sight of her was welcome would be a heinous understatement. She was a sparrow arriving on the bow of a boat to alert weary sailors that land was near. That grace and freedom and home was close by. Elias took a moment to absorb the sight of her into his bones, and another, longer one to remind himself he couldn’t let his presence be known. No matter how badly he wanted to drop down in front of her from ten stories above, fall to his knees and beg forgiveness, his presence was supposed to remain a secret.
Elias never intervened in her fights. He simply hung back.
After all, he’d watched proudly from the shadows as she’d kicked the shit out of dozens of vampires, slinging catchphrases and stakes like nobody’s business. He’d ached afterward watching her limp off alone, her demeanor one of deep dissatisfaction. It was those times he almost gave in and offered himself up. Her ultimate revenge. But he always managed to pull back, reminding himself that his protection could be more valuable someday.
As if the universe read his mind, Elias watched a vampire stalk Roksana in the shadows.
Any second now, she would turn and roundhouse him in the jaw. Turn him to dust.
But time ticked by and still she seemed distracted.
Lost in thought.
“Come on,” Elias hissed, prowling to the opposite corner of the roof and back, his eyes never leaving her. “Turn around, havoc wreaker. Turn around.”
She didn’t.
The vampire broke into a sprint and with panic slicing him in two, Elias didn’t hesitate. He dropped from the building, landing between Roksana and her predator, asphalt rippling out around him in a wave. “She’s off limits,” Elias seethed at her would-be attacker, his fingers loosening at his sides. “Run. And that offer is only good for the next five seconds.”
Based on the
vampire’s expression, he recognized Elias immediately.
Elias had been living with Jonas in New York for the last six months. Long enough to know half of the vampire population respected and emulated the former prince, while the other half failed to fall into line, choosing instead to embrace their predatory nature. This vampire obviously fell into the latter category.
“Five…four…three…”
Elias trailed off when Roksana’s attacker cursed and vanished into the shadows.
He couldn’t stop himself from waiting, holding his breath to see if she’d take advantage of his back being turned. He was almost disappointed when she didn’t. Bracing himself, Elias slowly turned to face the slayer, finding her immobile with shock.
Thirst for her blood—only hers—rocked him, but he used every ounce of strength to block it. God, he hadn’t seen her up close since the night she let him out of prison. In his pitiful, weakened state, his eyesight must have lacked the precision it did now. With the moonlight shining on her face, he could count every fleck of black around her irises. Could get lost in the indentations on her lower lip where she’d clearly been chewing. The subtle jut of her nipples might have gone undetected by a human man, but he witnessed the gradual swell and his cock followed suit, swiftly and relentlessly.
One taste. I would do anything for one taste of her.
Roksana blinked up at Elias and raised her stake in an unsteady hand, shifting her stance side to side, and he forced himself to ignore the stir of arousal in his belly. The poor girl. Her heart was going a thousand miles an hour. Didn’t she know he’d walk into the sun to take back the hurt he’d inflicted? Did she really think he’d inflict more?
“I didn’t need you to do that,” she said in a rush. “W-why did you do that?”
I’m drawn to you. I ache to be near you. Protecting you drives me.
The truth wasn’t an option. Roksana hated him. Admitting how deep his feelings ran would only repel her. Moreover, she might suspect he remembered that night in Vegas. Before the massacre. Before he’d lost his humanity. And if he admitted to remembering that night, he’d have to tell her the truth about who made him a vampire. About the deal he’d cut with Inessa to train her slayers, in exchange for her life that fateful night. The knowledge could endanger her—and he would never put her in harm’s way. His only wish left in this life was keeping her safe.
Lastly, he remembered how she’d spoken of her mother in the slayer prison.
The great Queen of Shadows is my mother. I train under her watch and for that, I am fortunate. She has honor and patience, something you’ll never understand. She’s given me the gift of vengeance and it is what pulled me from the hole you dropped me into, monster.
Elias knew what it was like to lose the last person on earth that meant a damn to you. He didn’t even realize how much he considered Jaxson a brother until he’d aimed his gun, did his job like a well-oiled machine and kept moving, even while his past seemed to be evaporating, like it never existed at all. No way would he cause Roksana that kind of pain. If she believed her mother to be some benevolent saint, that’s how it would stay. He’d never divest her of that notion and take away the remainder of who she loved.
Not when he’d allowed so many to be eliminated already.
“I asked you a question, vampire. Why did you help me?” Understanding seemed to dawn on her face. “I set you free from prison. Telling your buddy to vamoose is your way of returning the favor, da?”
Elias scoffed. “You think I put that much thought into it?” He shook his head. “The man I work for doesn’t want blood spilled on his turf. I’m doing my job. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Her posture deflated momentarily before she built herself back up. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing vampires don’t bleed.” She rocked back into a battle stance, twirling her stake once between her fingers. “I’ve been hunting you for months and tonight you’ll finally die by my hand.”
He pretended not to hear the wobble in her voice on that final word.
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry I couldn’t save them.
I’m sorry I drove you to this violent life so unsuited to your bright spirit.
Elias could say none of those things out loud. But in the spirit of keeping Roksana alive, he could use her hatred of him. Use it to make her tough. Use it to disguise his true feelings.
“Will a fight between us even be worth my time?” He rubbed at the scar bisecting his lip. “That vampire was making enough noise to wake the dead—and I should know, right? Meanwhile, you were daydreaming.”
Indignation squared her shoulders. “Nyet. I would have heard him before the strike. My reflexes rival a jungle cat.”
“Who told you that? Your mommy?” When she flinched, self-loathing twisted his insides. “Another second and it would have been too late. Run along and learn how to become a worthy opponent for someone like me. Until then, I’m not wasting my time.”
Red bloomed on her cheeks. “I wish you to hell.”
I’m already there, baby, Elias thought, but said nothing.
Her light brows pulled together. “Who do you work for?”
Telling her that piece of information wasn’t wise, but he wanted Roksana to know where she could find him. Always. This would help. And at the end of the day, he might work for Jonas’s cause, but his own purpose—guarding the slayer—trumped everything else. “Jonas Cantrell.”
Roksana hid her surprise well. “I have heard of this bloodsucker. He seeks to help the Freshly Silenced and give them a human existence.” She shook her head. “But there is no such thing as an honorable vampire. I know this well.”
“Your opinion is irrelevant.”
His rude rejoinder narrowed her eyes and she dropped down once again onto the balls of her feet, stake at the ready. “Fight me now, vampire.” There was a note of desperation in her tone when she added, “Please.”
She can’t make the first move.
Neither could he.
They stood mere feet from one another in the moonlit alley, neither one of them moving, her puffs of breath the only sound for miles. Her internal struggle was visible in her eyes. She wanted to kill him, but couldn’t. She looked at him and still saw the man she kissed with total abandon that night in Vegas—and she hated herself for it.
But not nearly as much as he hated himself.
Elias gave her a once-over and sighed. “Find me when you’re ready.”
She sniffed and swiped at her nose. “Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I’ll slaughter all of you.”
He started to walk away, but stopped and looked back over his shoulder. He couldn’t verbally offer her his devotion and protection, but he was driven to make her a vow. Some kind of promise to her that he would keep, no matter what, so she might one day believe him to be unwavering, even if she hated him. “I still owe you a favor for releasing me from the prison. And I will return it one day.”
“Keep it. I want nothing from you.”
Her words struck him like sharp stones. “It’s yours regardless.”
He walked away wondering how a dead heart could ache so much.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Roksana paced back and forth in front of the hut, trying to talk herself out of ringing the bell. She’d disembarked from her flight at JFK and instead of going straight to Enders to complete the next leg of her mission, she’d rented a car and driven to Massachusetts.
Stupid.
Sure, she might be welcome in the multi-story chamber located beneath the assuming hut, where the High Order once dwelled—before Jonas usurped them—but she shouldn’t be. The vampires in residence should tremble at the very mention of her name. That would not be the case, though. Ginny would probably put out coffee and cake.
And she would eat it.
I am the world’s most pitiful slayer.
The marriage decree was still tucked safely in the bodice of her dress. She could walk into Enders and exchange it for the game piece sought by Inessa.
But once the next part of her task was finished, all that would remain was to kill Elias.
Roksana scrubbed at the back of her neck and started a quick-paced lap around the car. There was an odd tightness in her midsection that had been increasing ever since she boarded her flight in Moscow. No amount of stretching or breathing exercises would ease the strain.
She couldn’t simply be missing Elias. Could she?
Guilt formed like a brick in her belly. It would be ridiculous to miss this man she was supposed to hunt. This man who’d torn her happiness away when he could have taken anyone else. Any loss of human life would have been a tragedy, but he’d specifically chosen her friends and now she worried over the fact that he couldn’t feed? That he could be hungry if she wasn’t there to nourish him? Such knowledge should be inconsequential to her. He would be dead soon enough by her hand, wouldn’t be? Since she’d been unable to stake him thus far, maybe starving him to death was the best option.
Roksana looked down, alarmed to find her hands wringing together.
With a broken off sound, she started pacing again, this time weaving through the trees of the surrounding forest, her boots snapping twigs in her haste to move, move, keep moving.
Get rid of the ache.
After her mission was complete and she’d ended Elias’s life, she would no longer be welcome in Ginny’s home. Another friend lost. How would she hug the vampire queen knowing what the future held? How would she look Jonas in the eye?
Dammit, no matter how hard she’d tried, becoming friends with the vampire king had been unavoidable, hadn’t it? He was noble. Proof that good vampires existed. After that long ago evening in Coney Island when Elias saved her in the alley, she’d sought Jonas out, thinking she might earn her mother’s approval by staking this so-called savior of the vampire race. By taking him and Elias out in one fell swoop.
Instead, she’d watched Jonas and Elias—Tucker rounding out the trio—work in fascination. Watched them locate Freshly Silenced vampires in the throes of their confusion and help them acclimate to a quiet, new life. A life where killing humans was off limits. She’d almost resented Jonas for bringing Elias into his well-meaning fold. She wanted him to be the face of her rage, this man who’d participated in the massacre of her friends. Was that so much to ask?
